ADHD, Ritalin, and the Feds

O.K. so I've been gone for awhile. Sorry. But there's good news and a reason for my absence: ADHD Children Today is up and running. Yahoo! (Wouldn't say the kids in the picture are ADHD, but they're sure multi-tasking!)

Now, I hope you'll excuse me for just a bit of shamelss self-promotion which I know I shouldn't be doing on my blog. But I'm just too excited about the ADD Kids stuff to keep from telling you all about it. Then I promise to get to the news about the Food and Drug Administration's warning about ADHD stimulant drugs.

You can subscribe to ADHD NewsTips for free--and the tips are really for all kids, even adults, not just ADHD. You'll get quick, easy, use 'em right now, tips that help kids focus and parents and teachers relax!

And there's a packed-full-of-great-information-and-strategies TeleChat that's part of ADHD Children Today too. It's called "They're Driving Me Crazy: How to Manage ADHD at Home and in School." And yes, a bit of Brain Gym in the TeleChat. Go ahead and check it out.

The website, the NewsTips, and the TeleChat are drug-free. No Ritalin.

I took Ritalin once for a few weeks. Interesting experience. And I certainly could focus like never before. I didn't like how it felt. So even though I wanted to stop being so ADHDish, somehow I knew taking such a powerful drug couldn't be good for me in the long run. I stopped taking Ritalin.

Then in 2005 Steven Nissen, M.D., a cardiologist, became alarmed at the number of heart-related problems and even deaths associated with stimulant drugs prescribed for ADHD. He presented his findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the FDA considered a black box warning on all prescriptions.

The FDA eventually decided against a black box warning, much to the disappointment of many who felt that such was warranted.

However, in 2007 the FDA did direct drug manufacturers to notify children's parents in writing of the possibility of serious side effects of these drugs, particularly cardiovascular and psychiatric problems. The FDA lists 15 of these drugs including Adderal, Ritalin, Concerta, and Strattera.

You can read or listen to my article and the FDA's list of concerns and side effects for Ritalin in the April Brain Boosters for Your Kids Newsletter

MaryJo